UK increases aid to Boko Haram terror-ridden Nigeria

From EMEKA OKONKWOABUJA, (CAJ News) – THE United Kingdom has allocated £200 million to support efforts to save lives and rebuild northeast Nigeria, where famine looms after the Boko Haram terror.
The support announced by envoys from the former colonial master on Wednesday is an allocation of Department for International Development Nigeria’s budget for four years from 2018 – 2022.
It builds on UK’s existing £100 million of humanitarian support for 2017 that the International Development Secretary, Priti Patel, announced earlier this year.
Patel and Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, have visited Nigeria to see how the UK is leading the international response to the humanitarian crisi, helping to avert famine and build stability and security after the destruction caused by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.
The UK’s increased support is expected to deliver lifesaving food for more than 1,5 million people on the brink of famine, treatment for up to 120 000 children at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition and ongoing support to help keep 100 000 children in school.
Patel said it was catastrophic that the Boko Haram’s terrorist regime had murdered at least 20 000 people and left over 5 million people hungry and many homeless.
“Babies’ bodies are shutting down and mothers who have lost everything are fighting to keep their children alive,” Patel lamented.
The UK has so far trained more than 28 500 Nigerian military personnel, of whom a significant number have been deployed on counter-insurgency operations in the north east.
This includes counter-terrorism cooperation, providing training on response to terrorist attacks, bomb scene management, and improving aviation security.
Johnson said Boko Haram had generated suffering, instability and poverty on a huge scale, with profound knock on effects far from Nigeria’s borders.
“I am proud of Britain’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian people in tackling terror,” Johnson said.
– CAJ News